The Touch of Midas
by Tora Marikama
Summary: With a touch they turned to gold, beautified but at the same time tarnished. An LGBTQ predator overlords/human slave story.
1. The Looking Glass

Chapter 1: The looking glass

You are human. You are one of many homo sapiens, as _you_ have called yourselves. For so long you have lived unaware of us.

To be human means to be soft, Wispy thin hairs over skin that gives at the barest touch. You are so soft that _we_ call you Pyode Amedha. Soft meat is a novelty compared to the thicker meat normally eaten. We love the way your flesh feels under our hands, the way it feels in our mandibles as we rip into it.

But you are more than just food. To be human means to be prey. Not just any prey but one of our favorites. We take care to treat you decently. There are rules so that you are not over hunted. We enjoy the smell of fear on you, the way you try to escape us. You are so clever too, and quick to adapt. We have to work hard to keep up, stay on our toes, and struggle to stay one step ahead. That is what makes you so great. It's how we made you.

You have always belonged to us, you just never knew. All you know, all that you are is because we interfered. We caused it. We allowed it. We pointed you in the right direction. But we let your governments feed you lies, keeping you comfortable, keeping you soft. It made the hunts all the more entertaining for us.

Now there is a new purpose you can fulfill. You must know us now.

We have taken out your leaders and governments. We have disabled your world's

militaries overnight, before they even noticed. You fight and struggle against us but we came prepared, and we are patient. We will wait for you to wear out and when you do, we will be here to put you in your new place.

We will gather up the criminals and take them to hunting preserves. We will take any human we deem unsuitable as well. Remaining adults will continue their lives as they have been, but not as before. We will be watching now, keeping them in place. It is the younger ones like yourself we have the most interest in.

We will teach you your new purpose. You will learn our language and how to be respectful to us. You will know about "The Path" and honor. We will take care of and provide for you in exchange for what you will do for us. If you are good, we will give you things you would have never achieved without us. We will keep your natural curiosity fulfilled. You will be the cleverest little Pyode amedha that you can be. If you are the best, we will show you the universe and all that it provides.

It will be hard for all in the beginning, for us, for our males, and for you. Our males will be rough and harsh and you will see them as cruel. But just like with your people we will pick out the unfit and cull them. Our males will learn when it is appropriate to be strict, or when to use gentle touches to coax you.

I can assure you it will all work out in the end.

In the end, you will belong to me.

* * *

The sun was just peeking out from the horizon when the guards arrived. They entered the old strip mall that was repurposed as a marketplace. The technology in their wire mesh suits made them almost invisible by bending light . The only thing that gave away their arrival was a brief shape against the stirred dust.

A hush fell over the handful of pedestrians that were there. Sellers sunk behind their stands. Store attendants pretended to be busy. A lucky few managed to slip inside buildings to avoid the arrival.

Each guard wore their full armor. The masks had a dome that covered the large flat crowns of their heads. A clean cut muzzle shape covered their mandibles. Inside of the muzzle were controls that were manipulated with their mouths. Over the glass eye covers were mesh coverings. It made them appear even darker under the thick brow of the mask. They hugged tight to the face, highlighting each individual's features. Some were decorated, while others, like Ct'den, preferred the traditional smooth metallic design.

Ct'den walked on while the other guards surveyed the scene. There was a scream as one of the guards charged forward and knocked a man down with a loud thump. The armored yautja tore at the man's pants and removed an illegal weapon from the now ripped open pocket.

Anyone nearby scattered away, kicking up dirt in the process. Ct'den grumbled and turned his cloaking device off. There was no point in keeping it on now.

The guard pulled the man up and shoved him roughly. It was not their place to pass judgment but they could take any action needed to keep the herd in control.

As expected, the human babbled in shock and fled. It was a disgusting display but it was no longer the guard's concern after a report was made.

Ct'den gave an absentminded brush to his shoulder plate and headed to the butchers.

The balding man behind the counter wasn't surprised by the arrival. But when Ct'den lifted his upper mandibles to smell, he picked up on the scent of fear. With an annoyed growl he pointed out the cut he wanted and in no time was back on the street.

Before he could take off his headpiece, a beep sounded from inside of the mask. With his hands full he used his mandibles to work the controls inside of the mask to bring up a screen. Yautja words filtered across it along with the yautja spelling of human names. It was an attendance list from the school, and two of the students had been marked as missing.

The black thick-skinned alien snapped his mask off. The air tubes popped out of place with hisses. Ct'den tore into the bloody meat as he picked up his pace. Soon the store buildings and abandoned black roads turned to rows of brick houses.

Ct'den cut through someone's back yard, knowing it was the fastest way to his target. In the past it would have been scandalous and foolish to be doing such a thing in broad daylight, but now it was the norm.

He came to a halt at his destination, but the blue door on the tan house was ajar. Ct'den's dreadlocks raised in anticipation. Drawn in blood on the door was the mark of one of the local arbitrators.

In yautja society, arbitrators upheld the law. They were responsible for overseeing disputes between clans and keeping peace. In lower levels of the government they were in charge of judging one's honor and character. They executed those that proved to be unworthy. On earth, they watched over males that the females gave a second chance to.

Ct'den crouched down and snapped his mask back on one handed, and used the other to attach the tubes.

With the partial infrared vision they were born with, he could see right behind the door was a cold body. He pushed the door open a bit more but couldn't see any others. He moved in further with practiced quiet steps. When he found a small body on the kitchen floor, his suspicions seemed confirmed.

The guard remained crouched for a moment with his head tilted. This was likely not the work of the arbitrator. Ct'den made uncertain clicks to himself as he stood up.

He removed the name from the list; the full report could wait until later.

Ct'den left, and the further he went the more run down and uncared for the houses appeared.

The one he stopped at had signs of water damage. When he stepped on it, the wood porch creaked with threats to break underneath him. The door was of course, locked, but was no match for a yautja on a mission.

The house had a musky smell to it, likely from the over stained carpet but the space was tidy and well kept. Noises drew him to a room in the back. With head ducked to keep from hitting the ceiling, he crept to it. He crushed the handle with a gauntlet covered hand and yanked the door open.

There was a human scream. With quick reflexes Ct'den caught the thing flinging his way. He looked at the wrist caught in his hand. The more delicate brown hand let go of the tool it was holding, and the crowbar fell to the floor between them.

The African American girl tilted her head looking up, "Ct'den?"

The yuatja clicked his tusks together as an affirmative.

She had a moment to look relieved before she was yanked into keeping up with the guard's strides. She used her free hand to self-consciously smooth out her grey school uniform.

"Thanks for getting me out and all… the lock must have… you know…" she broke off into a nervous laugh.

C'ten kept walking and it didn't seem that he was paying any attention.

She deflated, "Yeah, I don't think they're going to buy that either. I'm screwed."

The yautja gave a small grunt and kept walking.

* * *

Loren Ave. Academy was a typical school. It was a one story white bricked building with a fenced off courtyard at its front. The Principal was a skinny middle aged woman by the name of Mary Kurt. She bustled past the two guards and through the double metal and glass doors. The click clacking of Mary's black pumps echoed on the tiled floors as she rounded into the offices.

The sectary looked up from behind the desk with a nervous smile. He made a timid nod to the supervisor's office door.

Mary's lips tightened into a firm line at the sight of the shadowy forms that she could see though the glass. She took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door, firm, three times. When there was no response she let herself in. Head immediately lowered, eyes focusing the floor; this was what they expected from humans.

"Supervisor, Elder Vhk'si, how may I be of service." She dared to let her dark brown eyes wonder to two pairs of monstrous feet. One set were the color of dark chocolate, and the black clawed toes curled into the cadet grey carpeting. The other wore a type of sabaton, metal shoes.

The owner of the bare feet made a dismissive click, one Molly recognized as a signal that it was safe to look up. "Princ'bal-Kurt," addressed a heavy and gravelly voice, "Warrior Kes-de'rit."

Kes-de'rit looked down at the human as she looked up, eyes wondering over his full awu'asa. The chest plate, gauntlets, codpiece, and leg armor all gleamed from a recent polishing. She made a quick glance at his expressionless masked face.

Principal Kurt looked to the older of the two creatures."He will be a new guard?"

"Sei-i." That was all she got out of the 6'10" monstrosity as he walked past her. He paused for a moment to slip on his sandals by the door before going out. The even taller guard followed after.

Molly gulped. By the time she made it to the office door, they were already out in the hallway and she had to sprint to catch up. Walking at a fast pace she had a good view now of their bouncing dreadlocks.

Vhk'si's eight inch rubbery tresses were graying at the roots. They were heavy with carved bronze bands, a testimony to his accomplishments. Kes-de'rit's dreadlocks were only neck length and splayed out. Like everything else about him they glistened from all the care he put into his appearance.

The elder came to a halt at the cafeteria. Like the rest of the school, the walls were a light grey. There was an accent wall painted cobalt with the school's logo in white.

Vhk'si made a sweeping motion with his hand, and that seemed to be all he had to say about the space. He turned and carried on.

The principle bit her lower lip as they turned into one of the rows of class rooms. Vhk'si picked a room in the middle on the left side and invited himself in.

The teacher at the front of the room paused, marker still against the white board. Vhk'si gave a warning huff, and the man was quick to collect himself and assume a submissive position.

The elder then surveyed the rows of fourth grade male students. Each were stiff in their seats and heads lowered. He turned and exchanged words with Kes-de'rt.

Principal Kurt couldn't follow the quick exchange of clicks and growls. Most of the students understood. They had better opportunities here to learn than the older generation.

Done with his explanation, the elder strode out to continue the tour. He took them towards the girl's classrooms.

A small group of older students were waiting in the hall under the supervision of one of the many guards.

As they passed by Vhk'si made a swipe for one of them, only for the redhead to dodge with a cunning smile.

Vhk'si made a playful chuff and gave his approval that she hadn't gotten caught off guard.

Molly had seen Vhk'si interacting with the students many times before. Sometimes he would take over a class or challenge a student that caused trouble. It put her at ease to remember that Vhk'si had never hurt a student before. He could be rough but knew a human's limits.

Kes-de'rit made a noise of disgust and looked away.

They made their way completely back around to the main hall, when the front doors opened.

A yautja guard dragged a student in.

"Not today…" Groaned Principal kurt, her face sinking in dismay.

The dark skinned teen gave a sheepish smile until Vhk'si made a sharp barking sound.

The girl straitened herself up, but kept her head lowered in respect.

"Orianna…" Vhk'si growled in warning, "This needs to stop."

"I don't know what you expect." Orianna's gaze shifted away. She tried to find anything else to look at. After all, there was nothing she could have done when she found herself locked in that morning.

The elder's dreadlocks flared and a few loud steps brought him to loom over the student, "Now."

She gasped and spluttered out, "no no… H'ko, please don't…" She cut her begging off short. She took a deep breath to calm herself, "School is done at the end of the month."

The wall of Yautja remained unmoved.

Orianna looked up in challenge. Her expression turned firm and determined. "Let me handle this."

Vhk'si scoffed in disbelief.

She growled, "I _will_ handle this."

He kneeled to be at her eye level. "When it happens again, I will end this." The crab leg-like appendages on his face that were his tusked mandibles spread wide. A roar bellowed out from the inner mouth.

Orianna stood in place even though her heart beat quickened and leaned away from him.

Vhk'si straitened himself. His mandibles pulling back into their resting position and turned to the quiet observers.

When Principal Kurt snapped out of her stunned silence she snipped, "Orianna, class!"

She sprinted down the hall without a glance back.

* * *

A/N: I'm in search of beta readers for this story. If your interested, please contact me for more information.


	2. The lamb and the Knife

Chapter 2: The Lamb and the Knife

Kes-de'rit kept his mandibles pinched tight. He stood at his assigned post in the human's eating hall. One by one they filed in and took a seat. Then the trickle turned into groups passing through the doors.

His fist clenched. The other yearned to reach into a holster for a weapon. This was a cruel punishment, forced to play the part of a shepherd to a herd of filthy prey animals. This was the price he paid for angering a female that had any sort of power.

The other yautja guards seemed relaxed and even interacted with a student or two. Kes-de'rit scoffed. He tried to focus on a spot on the wall where the globs of heat from the humans were out of his sight.

A long eight minutes passed. Tired of his post, the new guard closed the double doors so that he could move on.

A body slammed into the doors.

Kes-de'rit blinked in surprise, though the mask hid his expression.

"Do you mind?!" It was the pale red haired one that the elder seemed to favor.

Kes-de'rit glanced to the other Yautja. They watched in silence. The hushed room set his nerves at unease as panic built up in his chest.

The human banged on the door, "Open the door! What is wrong with you?!"

Growling, he pulled the door open a crack.

The redhead pushed passed it, almost hitting the new guard as she dragged Orianna in behind her.

"Ashlin…" Orianna bit her bottom lip and peaked over her shoulder. Kes-de'rit was gone.

"What?" She came to a sharp halt, "I'm not going to let some fuck face push me around just because they're having a bad day."

Ashlin grabbed their trays. She balanced them in her arms before letting them clatter onto the table.

Orianna plopped onto the stool attached to the cafeteria table. "Are you sure you're not the one in a mood?"

Her friend let out a long sigh. "Sorry, I'm just anxious what with the big finals coming up."

When students graduated the yautja assigned them to their place in the world. Or in some cases the universe. The finals not only tested their intelligence but also talent and skills.

Orianna's lips curled into a shy smile, "You know you're going to do well. Best fighter in our grade and all that. You're going to be a hunter's companion and go explore the universe."

Ashlin smirked back, "You are too. I can't have all the fun."

"I…I don't think so," She looked down at the frozen meal pizza, "I think I'm going to get assigned to stay here."

"Why? It's not like you can have kids," she stated while pushing her neck length hair out of her face.

Orianna winced, "Well I would be a good worker."

Ashlin didn't comment.

Orianna added more confidence, "I would. I have all the traits that would make me good for the workforce."

Ashlin shrugged, "You're good at survival," and then stabbed at her peas in a plastic square cup.

She grimaced, "Decent. And I don't want to think about where that will get me."

"Sorry." The conversation died for a few minutes and they ate in silence. Ashlin thought up another topic, "What was up with this morning?"

"Mmnng that…" Orinanna looked around to see who was near them. She lowered her voice just in case, "I got stuck in the house."

The redhead raised a brow.

"I got locked in." She gave her friend the fiercest look she could make, "It's not a big deal."

"Okay, okay. Sorry I asked," Ashlin grumbled through bites of food.

Orianna saw someone walking down the aisle on Ashlin's side. she drawled out, "By the way, your friend is back."

"wha-" Before she could turn to look a leathery palm smacked into her head and knocked her over. She looked up scowling to see it was the yautja that was at the doors. "Seriously, what is your problem?!"

Kes-de'rit turned his back to her in a rude manner and stomped out of the cafeteria.

* * *

It was evening when a woman known as Kimanni Budiansky walked down Domingo Street. It was the same street that a particular yautja visited earlier that day.

She came up the sidewalk, kicked off her pumps and carried them up the porch steps. The african american woman leaned on the wood railing beam for a moment.

Her curly black hair was a mess, so she pulled out the handkerchief that was failing to hold it back. Kimanni was still wearing a pink uniform that had a logo on it from a local hair salon. It wasn't the best paying job, but she considered herself lucky. She often told herself, "We be living in the post apocalyptic, and people can still go out and pay for a haircut. What a world."

She fished her keys out, and unlocked the aged and suffering door. If any new damage had happened to it, it seemed fixed now.

"Orianna?" She called out as she entered.

"I'm in the kitchen mama!" Her daughter called back with a cheerful ring.

Mrs. Budiansky could smell something baking in the oven. She rounded the corner to see Orianna at the stove making pasta.

"I thought it'd be fun to cook tonight. I hope the garlic bread turns out good." She peaked into the oven, a wave of heat hitting her. She closed it back with a loud thump.

"Baby, you don't have to do these things." Kimanni's eyes brimmed with remorse.

"I want to. You work so hard, I want to return the favor."

"I'm really sorry about this morning. I'm not having a good day," she looked off, distracted by something only she could see. "I…I needed to make sure you were okay." Their neighborhood was not the best. She worried all the time that something could happen to Orianna. So when she woke up early that morning to leave to work, her paranoia got the best of her. She locked her daughter in to keep her safe.

"We're on thin ice now." Orianna had seen her mom have bad days before because of her disorganized schizophrenia. Even with better medication, it was still not curable. There were still days when she would see and hear things that weren't there, or feel paranoid.

The yautja were not kind to the mentally ill and handicapped. In their culture they killed mentally ill people as a twisted means to show mercy. They punished warriors that gained crippling injuries with servitude. Kimanni was lucky that they had let up a bit on those rules for the humans. But they were warned many times that their luck could change.

Orianna turned the stove off and brought the pot to the sink to strain the noodles. "We just have to be careful until I graduate. Uncle- I mean, your uncle, my great uncle, is still coming, right?" They had planned ahead of time for him to come live with her, just in case Orianna had to leave town.

"Yes, he got approval to transfer here." She looked down, "Don't you worry, I'll be fine."

Orianna smiled; she believed it.

* * *

Ct'den rubbed his tusks together, ready to end a long day with a warm meal and bath. He had clipped his mask on his belt, since it was tedious to wear it all day. His silted golden eyes remained focused on his goal.

The building stood out like a sore thumb. It was an odd squat pyramid on the edge of town made out of mismatching bricks and cement. A heavy duty ramp led to a not-so-visible door. Even to the yautja, their station was an eyesore but it was the best they could do last minute. It stood sturdy over the years, so it remained unchanged. No one wanted to waste time trying to make it look nicer.

As he reached the ramp, a cry caught his attention. Jostling and fights were common around the station but the sound wasn't yautja. Stepping off of the metal Ct'den went around the side of the ground station.

The new school guard and two others had the butcher surrounded. He had come to trade for venice and other meats that the yautja hunted for, only to get caught. They would tempt him with an opening between them to escape, only to catch the man and throw him back. The air reeked of fear and excretions.

Ct'den stomped up to them and growled in warning. "This is not acceptable behavior!"

Kes-de'rit gave a look of disinterest.

The growl in Ct'den's throat grew.

The standoff lasted a long two minutes until Kes'de'rit resented and moved aside.

The butcher ran, forgetting his package in the dirt.

Ct'den picked it up and dusted it off. It would be rude to waste food. He would bring something for the butcher the next day as an apology.

Ct'den backed away before turning around.

Kes-de'rit's eyes bore into the back of his head as Ct'den finally went inside.

* * *

The hall was crowded, but that was normal on their spaceships and space stations. It was something they were all used to. He tried to let his tension go as he entered the lively eating hall and focused on something more positive.

He was nearing the end of his punishment. Soon he would get approval from the females to leave. He could go back to hunting and maybe be ready in time for the next mating season.

Some were so ashamed of their fall from grace that they never returned to proper yautja society. It was possible that elder Vhk'si was one of those Yautja.

He felt certain of his own decision to leave. He had grown relaxed but tired of being just above the slave caste. Even honored prey were above them.

It was time to move on and get his life back on track.

The month passed faster than expected. Its end found Orianna sitting on the bench in front of the school with Ashlin, each holding an envelope.

Orianna picked at the white sealed flap. "You want to go first?"

"We should open them at the same time. Like ripping off a band aid I guess?" Ashlin started a small rip but paused and looked to her friend.

"Yeah. Count of three." As soon as she said three the girls tore the folded paper open and pulled out the sheet within.

Ashlin's eyes darted over the paper in excited anticipation. She skimmed through looking just for the keywords that would reveal her fate.

She jumped up, "I'm in! I'm going to be someone's hunting partner!"

Orianna cheered and whooped for her. "I told you! I so told you!"

Ashlin sat back down, "Okay now what does yours say?!"

She looked back at the paper, and then read it again. Her hands trembled and eyes went wide.

"Orianna?" Ashlin tried to look over her shoulder.

"It… it says I'm assigned to work for the females." She folded the paper back up. A childish part of her hoped that if she couldn't see it, it couldn't hurt her.

Her friend's eyebrows drew together in thought, "What?! Only guys get sent…" Then her eyes went wide in realization, "Oooh. Well that was shitty of them."

Orianna stood up and started pacing on the sidewalk, "What am I going to do?! I… I can't believe it…"

Ashlin growled, "You're going to march in there and demand to know what this is about. At least then you'll know if their being dickheads on purpose."

Orianna paused, "I can't do that!"

With a determined look Ashlin shoved Orianna to the door. "Yes you can. You can be damn brave when you want to, and I'll be right here for moral support. You need to know."

Orianna took a calming breath and started walking to the office of her own will.

As it turned out, Ashlin had to apologize. They were told that she had to wait outside the supervisor's office. But Ashlin was with Orianna in spirit and that was good enough.

She stood before the supervisor with the principal.

"Why are they doing this?" Mary Kurt demanded.

Elder Vhk'si looked between the two. Both were showing proper respect with their eyes lowered but he could see the tension in their bodies.

"She was born male."

* * *

A/N: Still looking for beta readers. To anyone interested, please message me for further details.

Trivia:

-This story is two years in the making, but it was only six months ago that Orianna showed up and gave the story a direction.

-Orianna was originally going to be a female to male transgender in honor of a friend of mine, but the story had its own plans.

\- Orianna is a different spelling of the name Oriana, which means "Golden" or "sunrise". It was part of the inspiration for the story's title.


	3. Standing in the Headlights

Chapter 3: Standing in the headlights

Orianna's heart sank.

Principal Kurt waved the comment off, "Yes, everyone- well a lot, of people know that. That shouldn't have affected her placement. Orianna's... situation has never mattered to your kind before now."

When Orianna was nine, she came to the realization that she was a girl. Other humans argued that the age of nine was too young to decide something so life changing. But they would dispute the same claims to anyone regardless of their age; too young to know what they "really wanted".

The yautja, for some strange reason, had no objections and provided the treatment. Orianna wondered about it sometimes but always put it to the back of her mind. She was lucky. She had a body that she fit in.

Elder Vhk'si remained quiet for a long time before he spoke again. "We did not… ask for permission from the females to do these procedures." He looked away from them.

Orianna gapped. She had never seen a yautja turn away from a human like that before. It was a clear sign of embarrassment.

She shook her head and refocused, "So what does this mean for me? Are they going to make me turn back?"

He snorted, "waste of their resources for an ooman." His mandibles fumbled with the "Hu" sound in "human." He continued, "They don't care as long as your fate remains the same."

Orianna thought on that and racked her brain. She tried to remember what she learned in class about the yautja and came to a conclusion. "So I'm being sent there… because that's what my fate is supposed to be. They think that's why I was born a male."

The elder nodded.

"Okay…" Serving the female yautjas couldn't be the worst assignment to get. She didn't know what it entitled exactly, but they weren't going to hunt her for sport. It couldn't be anything like working for a male either. "Okay. I think I can do this."

Mary kurt frowned, "Is it even going to be safe for her? She's going to be-"

The door slammed open and standing in the frame was a yautja in decorated armor. The spiked masked turned slightly as he took note of the occupants of the room.

Mary's breath caught in her throat.

The yautja stepped forward. Human and yautja skulls dangling from his hip clacked together.

A shiver went down Orianna's back. She recognized this figure.

This was an arbitrator.

The supervisor of the school straitened himself then tilted his head in question.

"Ct'den," said a rasped and cracking voice from behind the mask.

Vhk'si nodded and walked to the door, solemn. The arbitrator stepped back so he could get through and show the way.

"If there's a bloody mess…" The principal followed.

* * *

R'ykna had been an arbitrator for at least two hundred or so earth years. He had been present on the planet since the start of their occupation.

It was the most pain in the ass job he had ever taken.

The arbitrators never got a break. It wasn't easy to keep the lower ranked yautja in line and handle the humans at the same time. He wanted to know whose idea it was to use the humans for their aggression problems on a large scale. Just maybe he would step out of place and scream his opinions at her out of stress.

Their species was aggressive by nature and continued to push for more aggressive warriors. It became their downfall. Each year the number of males they had put down during mating season for treason increased. The females saw cases where a male had taken a human as a living trophy. Its presence soothed their aggression into something once again controllable. They saw a solution.

R'ykna wasn't sure on the exact science behind it but he couldn't deny that in some cases it worked. For others they were too far gone or too ignorant. Ct'den seemed to have been on the right path with no history of misdemeanors. There were some minor things in his first month, but that was expected and excused.

The recent reports were an oddity and seemed out of character, but R'ykna would hold his judgment. It wouldn't be the first time he saw someone relapse.

Elder Vhk'si found Ct'den patrolling the halls that held the girls' classes.

Confusion grew on the guard's face as they approached. He tilted his head in question.

The arbitrator wasted no time, "Warrior Ct'den, you are under suspicion of treason."

Ct'den's eyes went wide in shock behind his mask and his dreadlocks rose.

R'ykna took a step forward. His muscles flexed.

Ct'den stiffened, locked in place.

"Stop!" Principal kurt threw herself between them. She was certain that the arbitrator would kill the guard right there in the hall. "Not here, not in front of children."

Ct'den growled and pushed the woman out of the way.

The arbitrator turned and walked back the way he came, reassured now that Ct'den would follow.

A hand smacked across Mary Kurt's face.

Her mouth gaped open and she reached for her cheek, but Vhk'si grabbed Mary Kurt by a fistful of hair.

She shut her eyes as he brought his face close. She could almost feel his mandible against her cheek.

"A reminder of your place."

Mary nodded. Her eyes pleaded.

He pulled back and released her, mindful so that the sudden change wouldn't cause her to fall. Vhk'si could relate to wanting to protect the children in their care. But if he let a human go without warning that small bout of ignored bravery would go to their heads. They would become more daring and rebellious. The arbitrators learned that mistake early on. They made sure the "parolees" under their watch knew and helped with keeping the humans under control.

Principal Kurt collected herself, turned, and walked back down the hall. She did her best to ignore the stares and whispers. She pitied the children sometimes. They were wrapped up in the idea that the yautja knew better, and that everything they did was in their best interest. But she only felt that sometimes. A hand rubbed at her cheek. There were worst things then being ignorant.

She halted at the sight of Orianna, Ashlin just a step behind. The dark skinned teen looked lost as she watched Ct'den leaved the school. "I don't believe it…"

They all learned eventually, one way or another.

* * *

Kes-de'rit bounded over the rooftops in broad daylight. His clawed feet didn't make a sound against the shingles. his target was ignorant to the fact she had a stocker. It was just a plain caucasian woman. There was nothing remarkable about her, nothing that made her stand out to a yautja. Losing this one wouldn't make a difference.

He wanted to hunt one of the more prized humans, something that would actually be a challenge. He craved to have one of those skulls in his collection. It was too risky, and he had to settle for what he could get.

After the hunt, he'd edit the recording from the camera in his mask. It would be uploaded into the system under Ct'den's name. If the arbitrators caught on and decided to do something about the killings he needed a fall guy.

Kes-de'rit didn't know why he picked Ct'den. It could have been annoyance from that one day he interfered, or jealously. But another part of him felt nothing toward Ct'den. What he did know was that there was an insatiable anger in his chest. It burned like a steady flame, at times flaring into a roaring fire. Other times it was soft and subtle, but still present.

He could feel it now, hot and heavy in his core. There was a voice in his head, and it whispered to him how all this was the females' fault. He should make them pay for sending him here. He should mull their herd of pets, and they would regret this idea of theirs. Then things could go back to normal.

There was no other logic, no other choices but the ones his voices, his own voice in his head, told him. He was aware that it was wrong, and he was doing these things of his own free will. But at the same time it felt like some other force pulled him forward by strings.

His prey turned onto an empty street. Unable to wait any longer he leaped down to pursue. Soon he would feed the boiling rage and find some small relief.

Kes'de'rit never saw the wrist blades swing for his throat.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, I would love to hear more from you guys! Let me know what you think, I love talking with my readers! If anyone is interested in beta reading, just let me know.

Trivia: The rage that the male yautja feel is based off of my own experiences with rage symptoms caused by my anxiety disorder.


	4. Slipping out of Time

Chapter 4: Slipping out of time

 _Orianna ran. Branches snapped under her boots but she threw caution out of her thoughts. Something felt off; she was her old self._

 _Suddenly she was face down in the mud. Sobbing, she looked up at the grey and gloom of the forest around her. A few raindrops fell._

 _A bulky figure stood nearby, looking down._

" _Get up Darren."_

 _Her breath shuddered._

 _The figure looked around uncertain. The rain drops turned into a drizzle._

 _He knelt down, "This… this is how Oomans die. There is time later to feel."_

 _Orianna blinked her eyes a few times and took a deep breath. Her body shivered from the cold._

 _The Figures mandibles spread wide in a roar, "Get up!"_

Orianna woke with a gasp. Tree branches swayed above her head. The sunlight seeping between the leaves was blinding. It most definitely was not morning anymore.

She panicked, thoughts raced through her head as she got up. She shouldn't be in a reserve; she wasn't a criminal. She wasn't supposed to be hunting fodder. She thought she escaped that fate…

She had gone to the station with her mother and said their final farewells. Then she got onto the transport ship with the boys from her school. She couldn't remember anything after that.

It clicked into place. She took a deep breath to calm down. "Of course. How else can they tell if they want us?" She looked around at her surroundings, "This must be where the females hunt."

Orianna pat her right pants leg. It was reassuring that she could feel her Swiss army knife through the pocket. She slipped off her drawstring bag to check its contents. If needed, she could cut the straps off to use as rope. She shuffled the contents around to find a water bottle, blanket, a book, flashlight, and a bag of candy. She had packed for a road trip but she could make use of what she had.

After walking a bit she found a tree at the edge of a clearing. It seemed suitable enough for climbing so she hulled herself up. She shuffled and pulled herself up as high as she safely could. The goal was to try to get an idea of where the ground dipped down at. That would be where she could find a water source.

Movement caught her eye. Something darted along the tree line just out of sight. Orianna squinted, trying to make it out. It looked almost like a man in raggedy clothes. It couldn't be any of the boys that were dropped off with her. He could have been in the hunting grounds for years.

Orianna glanced around again with new realization. She knew she couldn't survive for that long. From what she'd seen so far there didn't seem to be much to scavenge. A lack of animal droppings and sounds were also disheartening signs. She had a feeling that her chances of catching enough fish to live off of were slim.

The only way to live would be to catch the interest of a yautja.

"Okay, but now how does one find a yautja. We didn't cover _that_." She thought on it as she climbed down, and came to the decision to stick with her original plan. Where there was water, there would be other humans. Where there were humans there would be yautja to hunt them.

She picked up a good sturdy stick to widdle into a spear. Orianna walked with purpose in a direction that looked promising.

It took three hours of searching to find a brook. It was a disappointing sight. The lazy water flowed over and between the rocks. The lack of fish and mud made it a bad spot. Training told her that she needed fish to live off of. She needed the mud to hide her heat signature. Though she wanted someone to find her, she would need every advantage she could find.

She walked around the area, nodding to herself. With an hour or less away from sunset, it would have to do.

Orianna started by finding a spot uphill from the brook. It had to be a place where nothing could sneak up on her from at least one side, and where she had a view advantage. She took out her knife and cut off the thick rope-like straps from her drawstring bag. She took the blanket out and put rocks on one end. With the other side, she tied up at a slight angle, just enough that she could crawl under it. For the final touch she threw underbrush over the blanket. "Going to be a pain to pick that out when this is all over…" she mumbled to herself.

Orianna backed up to admire her work. At a distance it was unnoticeable, but she knew close up it would be obvious. She picked her finished spear up and tossed it a few times. "Can't give anyone a chance to get close then."

She took her water bottle back out and gave it a shake. With her next plan in mind, she finished off the water and went down to the brook. Setting her things down on one of the rocks, she took her knife and cut through the seams holding her left sleeve on. She dipped the fabric in the water, then held it over the bottle and squeezed. Any debris would get caught in the fabric, letting just the water through. It was a long and tedious process.

Orianna shook her sore hands out, and examined her refilled bottle. She screwed the top back on. "hehe yeeeah don't want to lose my hard work like that one time. Okay, you're almost done girl, you can do this," she spoke to herself.

As a precaution she put her things under her shelter. With just her knife and spear she went out scavenging. The sun just started to set when she made it back with the wood she needed. She sat on her now named "sitting rock" and pulled out the two softwood branches she found. They would work for making the fire she needed to heat her water. It was a bit unorthodox; she would have to be careful that the plastic bottle didn't melt. But given the circumstances it was the best she could do.

As she whittled the sticks to get them ready, she reassured herself, "I'm going to be okay."

* * *

 _The toilet had started overflowing again._

 _She slid off the top on the back and grabbed the bulb inside the tank. The water stopped gushing out from under the seat. With her free hand she grabbed towels out of the laundry bin, and made a wall to keep the water from spreading._

" _Mom! Are you home? The toilet is acting up again! " She waited, but there was no answer back. With a groan, she reached behind the toilet for the valve to turn off the water. With that done she could let go of the bulb._

 _Orianna reached for the plunger to check that nothing was clogging it up. Sure enough, something stringy and black appeared. Her face scrunched up. "What is that?"_

 _She reached in and pulled- a whole yautja head popped free, mandibles splayed out._

 _It roared and lunged at her._

"Aaaah!" Orianna shot up. The motion caused the brush to get knocked off, and the rocks shifted.

"Mmng… great." She laid back down, but frowned. "Why is the ground wet?"

It was only then that she noticed her blanket was also wet. Orianna peaked out of her lean-to, to see the thick fog that had settled in overnight. "Oh this just keeps getting better." Her vision was impaired now. It wouldn't affect the yautja in the slightest.

After lying down for a bit longer, she packed up and headed in the direction the brook flowed from. She kept up on the higher ground to stay out of the fog. Once in awhile she dipped back down to make sure the brook was still there. A few times she back tracked and crossed to the other side.

After a while, she made it to a point where the brook widened into a stream.

"Thank goodness…" She grabbed handfuls of mud and smeared it on herself. She had cover.

Wanting to go as far as she could for the day, she moved at a faster pace along the stream.

By afternoon the fog let up. Strange purple plants started appearing. They grew in clumps low to the ground. Their spiny leaves looked sharp and glistened with some sort of liquid. They couldn't cut through her long pants, but the way they brushed against her made a shiver run up her back.

She looked the way she came, only to see more of them. She needed to calm down, and getting out of the plants would help. She climbed up the nearest tree and settled in the crook of its branches.

The teen surveyed the area while she took deep breaths.

A strange sound brought her attention to the ground.

Orianna frowned. She watched, and then she saw it.

One of the plants pulled itself into the ground.

She gulped, "Alien plants…"

* * *

A/N: This chapter was a bit tricky to go along with, what with our sudden jump forward. But I'm putting faith in that the story knows what its doing more then I do. Hope you're all enjoying it, please review, all that good stuff and have a safe Holiday (Halloween if your in the states). If anyone would like to beta read and have the chance to see chapters ahead a time, you need just ask.


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